The 2012 Commercial Victimisation Survey polled hundreds of businesses throughout the UK and found the number of retail, manufacture and hospitality premises suffering break-ins had dramatically dropped since 2002. Down from 43% in the early noughties, the 21% of businesses hit by vandalism and burglary in 2012 were – in the majority – large businesses with bigger, more vulnerable properties. The decline in crimes against commercial property is surely a good trend to be reporting, and many critics put the numbers down to an increasingly preoccupied youth culture, who are readily entertained today by smartphones, rather than casual crime.

That theory, however, happens to be unproven. Instead, the security industry understands that improvements to the way businesses protect their properties has gone leaps and bounds towards stopping petty crime from occurring in the first place. To this end, preparation against petty vandalism and serious crimes, such as arson, should always be reflected by your commercial property insurance.  

Location, risk rating and additional security measures are all factored into policy premiums. Most businesses are affected by the security rating that an insurance broker will use to measure the risk involved in providing insurance; the more a business has invested in protecting its premises, the less of a risk that particular policy entails, and the lower the premium. Like any insurance deal, the best tactic is to shop around and try as many brokers as possible because different companies use different metrics. This creates the potential for your business to benefit from the lack of standardisation in insurance practices.

Roller shutters and commercial property insurance

Custom roller shutters that are rated as security shutters are made of galvanised steel, and are an ideal way to increase security ratings on commercial premises. The most obvious point of entry, such as industrial-sized garage doors, must be protected; secondary points of entry, like ground floor windows, must be protected too. If a ground floor office is susceptible to infiltration, this is the only opportunity a criminal needs to enter the building.

Insurance companies appreciate the physical and visual barriers that quality roller shutters represent. Valuable commodities inside the premises are screened from view, minimising the risk of opportunistic theft, and the physical obstacle of a sturdy shutter takes planning and equipment to penetrate, which a majority of criminals lack. If an insurance company does not recognise the measures taken to protect the property, move on to an insurance broker who does, because security roller shutters are proven crime deterrents.

Security shutters are not a measure taken by businesses in spite of falling rates of burglary and vandalism. The statistics should account for the improvements to security technologies that have been advantageous to businesses’ and manufacturers’ security during that time. The best strategy for protecting a business is not to rely on blue sky thinking about why criminals attack businesses, but to continue to implement the proven methods that guarantee protection and give peace of mind – not to mention the convenient reductions in insurance premiums.

In summary

• Complete a risk assessment for the security of your property
• Contact many insurance companies to obtain quotes
• Correspond with competitively priced insurers and ask how security roller shutters would reduce your premium; if you already have security shutters, enquire as to how much discount the shutters have incurred
• Contact a roller shutter company to install security shutters
• Pursue the insurance quote that takes into account the role of security shutters in commercial property protection

Safe & Secure offer standard, insulated and security roller shutters in a range of made-to-measure sizes to suit your property. Shutters are available in many colours and effects, such as our ever popular wood-grain, to blend in seamlessly with domestic or style-conscious commercial premises. We offer 24 hour support services, so you know you are in the right hands for all security needs. Covering North Wales and locations in Northern England, we are a friendly, expert team of suppliers and installers. Don’t hesitate to get in touch today!